Getty Terry Fontenot, general manager of the Atlanta Falcons.
Second-year Atlanta Falcons general manager, Terry Fontenot will have a special draft assistant shadowing him this year in his 10-year-old son, Caden.
Like father, like son, Caden is a football guru and a big fan of mock drafts. So much so, Caden spends his weekend watching college film with his dad and uses a mock draft simulator, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.
Fontenot claims his son’s mock drafts are actually “pretty good” because he spends time learning about the prospects.
Caden will, in fact, be in the Falcons’ war room on Draft Day wearing matching suits with his father, except instead of wearing dress shoes, he will be rocking a pair of Jordans.
Mock drafts, father-son bond and Jordan’s. A fun small behind-the-scenes look on a fun day at how family intersects with #Falcons GM Terry Fontenot draft process:
Check out Caden’s fresh Nike Air Force 1’s…leaving absolutely no question as to who wore it better.
GM Terry Fontenot and his son Kaiden are rockin’ matching draft suits 🔥
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Falcons 2022 NFL Draft Picks
Heading into day 1, the Falcons are currently holding on to a total of nine 2022 NFL Draft picks with three picks coming in the top 60:
Round 1 – Pick 8 (8 overall)
Round 2 – Pick 11 (43 overall)
Round 2 – Pick 26 (58 overall) from the Tennessee Titans
Round 3 – Pick 10 (74 overall)
Round 3 – Pick 18 (82 overall) from the Indianapolis Colts
Round 4 – Pick 9 (114 overall)
Round 5 – Pick 8 (151 overall)
Round 6 – Pick 11 (190 overall)
Round 6 – Pick 35 (213 overall)
The Falcons acquired No. 58 overall in the second round from their Julio Jones trade with the Tennesee Titans last offseason and No. 82 overall after sending longtime quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts.
Atlanta’s 2022 NFL Draft Plan Remains the Same
Despite several holes to fill last offseason, Arthur Smith and Fontenot went into their first-ever draft experience as head coach and GM planning to select the best player available at No. 4 overall.
“In the draft, you’re going to take the best player,” Fontenot said via AtlantaFalcons.com ahead of the 2021 draft. “You can’t be afraid to continue [to add] at every position. There’s not a position that you’re going to say, ‘Oh, we’re good there, we’re not going to draft there this year.’ That’s just what I believe. … We’re never going to be afraid to take a player at any position and build strength.”
He explained that he first learned this approach from Ozzie Newsome––also known as one of the most elite general managers in NFL history.
“You never want to reach for needs,” Fontenot said. “I think it’s cool listening to Ozzie Newsome tell stories about where there were certain players on the board, in certain areas, and they took the best player available, and he ends up taking Hall of Fame players as opposed to reaching for a need.”
Atlanta would go on to draft Florida tight end, Kyle Pitts.
Fontenot and Smith will take the same approach to draft the “best player available” and not “reach for needs,” in this year’s draft as well, according to team reporter Tori McElhaney.
The NFL Draft kicks off Thursday, April 28 and ends on Saturday, April 30.
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